J. R. Tracy
Elder Member
Final round of the mini! I'd already played the third scenario in the event (Death on the French Coast) so we opted for one of the scenarios from the other mini, which were surprisingly meaty despite the small playing area.
Opponent
Phil Palmer, my NKVD vs his Lithuanians
Situation
Hardy Partisans defend a hilltop in the pine forest of Lithuania; the NKVD must clear the hilltop while amassing more CVPs than the Partisans. The Lithuanians are represented by Finnish counters, while the NKVD are 628s/328s with three Commissars and a light tank. The Partisans may exit ‘behind’ the NKVD without counting for CVP.
Winning hearts and minds
Plan
I planned to attack from three sides, grind my way up the slopes, and maintain a cordon to prevent any defenders from escaping to exit. I was counting on the NKVD/Commissar autorally combination to keep my boys massed at the point of attack.
Early Going
I started off doing Phil's dirty work for him by boxing out a few halfsquads on morale checks and rally attempts. Meanwhile, Phil always seemed to find a handy tree to hide behind every time I took a shot. However, I made progress up the hill, with enough good order units to maintain pressure on all three fronts.
Welcomed with open arms
Uh-Oh!
I felt I was really making some progress when I smacked a 648 with a well timed snake eyes, but in a continuation of a disturbing trend, Phil replied with snakes of his own, yielding a battle hardening and a 149.
Big Moment
A squeaky LOS allowed my mortar to rip into a key hex, killing 1.5 squads and wounding the freshly minted partisan hero.
Tightening the noose
Endgame
My AFV crashed into a hex full of Partisans, allowing my infantry to advance on either side. Phil combined his hero with his -1 leader and the squad manning the HMG, and dealt 12(-1) attacks left and right. When the stack finally broke, the defense was compromised, and Phil couldn't summon the storm of threes he needed to save the day.
Lessons Learned
I learned a lot about double crests!
Preparing for the last stand
Things I’d Do Differently
I liked my attack but I didn’t place my commissars as effectively as I should’ve, given the terrain and proximity of the defenders.
Scenario Impressions
I love the combination of the gnarly board (double crest lines, etc) and the pine forests (1.5 so you can advance uphill without going CX). I also like the exit option for the Partisans - it keeps the NKVD player honest and could be an objective from the get-go, using HIP units to set fatal traps and fleeing the board before the NKVD can catch up. The NKVD are a little too tough in the version we played, however, and by taking prisoners I was able to rack up beaucoup CVP. The latter was made N/A by SSR as a result, and the NKVD were trimmed a bit for the next round of testing.
3-0 and winner of the mini, along with a nifty dice glass; 3-0 in the main event as well, 3-1 overall.
Opponent
Phil Palmer, my NKVD vs his Lithuanians
Situation
Hardy Partisans defend a hilltop in the pine forest of Lithuania; the NKVD must clear the hilltop while amassing more CVPs than the Partisans. The Lithuanians are represented by Finnish counters, while the NKVD are 628s/328s with three Commissars and a light tank. The Partisans may exit ‘behind’ the NKVD without counting for CVP.
Winning hearts and minds
Plan
I planned to attack from three sides, grind my way up the slopes, and maintain a cordon to prevent any defenders from escaping to exit. I was counting on the NKVD/Commissar autorally combination to keep my boys massed at the point of attack.
Early Going
I started off doing Phil's dirty work for him by boxing out a few halfsquads on morale checks and rally attempts. Meanwhile, Phil always seemed to find a handy tree to hide behind every time I took a shot. However, I made progress up the hill, with enough good order units to maintain pressure on all three fronts.
Welcomed with open arms
Uh-Oh!
I felt I was really making some progress when I smacked a 648 with a well timed snake eyes, but in a continuation of a disturbing trend, Phil replied with snakes of his own, yielding a battle hardening and a 149.
Big Moment
A squeaky LOS allowed my mortar to rip into a key hex, killing 1.5 squads and wounding the freshly minted partisan hero.
Tightening the noose
Endgame
My AFV crashed into a hex full of Partisans, allowing my infantry to advance on either side. Phil combined his hero with his -1 leader and the squad manning the HMG, and dealt 12(-1) attacks left and right. When the stack finally broke, the defense was compromised, and Phil couldn't summon the storm of threes he needed to save the day.
Lessons Learned
I learned a lot about double crests!
Preparing for the last stand
Things I’d Do Differently
I liked my attack but I didn’t place my commissars as effectively as I should’ve, given the terrain and proximity of the defenders.
Scenario Impressions
I love the combination of the gnarly board (double crest lines, etc) and the pine forests (1.5 so you can advance uphill without going CX). I also like the exit option for the Partisans - it keeps the NKVD player honest and could be an objective from the get-go, using HIP units to set fatal traps and fleeing the board before the NKVD can catch up. The NKVD are a little too tough in the version we played, however, and by taking prisoners I was able to rack up beaucoup CVP. The latter was made N/A by SSR as a result, and the NKVD were trimmed a bit for the next round of testing.
3-0 and winner of the mini, along with a nifty dice glass; 3-0 in the main event as well, 3-1 overall.
